TW202341678A - Method and apparatus for mobile communications - Google Patents

Abstract

Method and apparatus are provided for forwarding control information. In one novel aspect, a base station (BS) transmits a configuration of a forwarding resource to a repeater. The configuration includes a time domain occasion information and a spatial setting. The repeater receives the configuration of the forwarding resource. Then, the BS transmits a signal to the repeater, and the repeater forwards the signal to a user equipment (UE) based on the forwarding resource.

Description

Method and device for forwarding control information in mobile communications

This application relates to wireless communications, especially methods for forwarding control information in mobile communications, repeaters, and base stations (BS).

In the traditional network of the fifth generation (5th, 5G) new radio (NR) of the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), in order to enhance the coverage of NR network communication, you can Repeaters are introduced in NR networks. In particular, relays that are compatible with traditional user equipment (UE) and have low deployment costs can be deployed in the NR network to forward information from the base station to the user equipment. However, the details of introducing repeaters in NR networks have not been fully discussed and some issues need to be resolved.

In one embodiment, a method, a relay, and a base station for forwarding control information are provided. In particular, the base station transmits to the relay a configuration of a forwarding resource set including at least one forwarding resource. The at least one forwarding resource includes time domain timing information. The relay receives the configuration of the forwarding resource set. Then, the base station: (1) transmits the signal to the repeater, and the repeater forwards the signal based on the forwarding resource; or (2) receives the signal from the repeater based on the forwarding resource.

Other embodiments and advantages are described in the detailed description below. This summary is not intended to define the application. This application is defined by the patent scope claimed.

Some embodiments of the present application will be mentioned in detail below and are illustrated in the drawings.

Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary 5G NR network 100 supporting relays for forwarding information in accordance with various aspects of the present application. The 5G NR network 100 includes a UE 110, a relay 121, a gNB 131, and a 5G Core network 140. Through the amplify-and-forward (AF) function of the repeater 121 operating in the access network 120, the UE 110 operates in the licensed frequency band of the access network 130 (for example, 30GHz~300GHz mm The access network 130 uses radio access technology (Radio Access Technology, RAT) (for example, 5G NR technology) to provide radio access. The access network 130 is connected to the 5G core network 140 through an NG interface, and more specifically, to a user plane function (UPF) through an NG user-plane part (NG-u). ), and is connected to the Mobility Management Function (AMF) through the NG control-plane part (NG-c). A gNB can be connected to multiple UPF/AMFs for load sharing and redundancy purposes. The UE 110 may be a smart phone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a tablet, etc. Alternatively, the UE 110 may be a laptop or a personal computer with a data card inserted or installed. The data card includes a modem and a radio frequency (radio frequency, RF) transceiver to provide a wireless communication function.

The gNB 131 can provide communication coverage for the geographical coverage area in communication with the repeater 121 . The repeater 121 can provide communication coverage for a geographical coverage area in which communication with the UE 110 is performed. The control link 101 shown in the 5G NR network 100 may be established between the relay 121 and the gNB 131. The AF link 102 shown in the 5G NR network 100 may be established between the UE 110 and the gNB 131 through the relay 121. The control link 101 may be used to transmit network parameters related to the AF link 102 to control the AF link 102 . AF link 102 may include UL transmission from UE 110 to gNB 131 (eg, on a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) or Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)) or from gNB 131 DL transmission to UE 110 (for example, on the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) or the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)).

It should be noted that the control link 101 may be utilized to transmit capability reports of the control link 101 and the AF link 102 to the gNB 131 . The capability report of the control link 101 may be related to the first layer (Layer1)/second layer (Layer2)/third layer (Layer3) control information of the receiver/transmitter. Capability reporting of the AF link 102 may be related to DL/UL multi-input multi-output (MIMO), DL/UL carrier aggregation (CA), and maximum DL/UL power gain.

The radio resource control (RRC) configuration of the control link 101 may be related to the first layer/second layer/layer three control information of the receiver/transmitter; and the DL/DL applied to the AF link 102 UL power gain related. The measurements maintained on the control link 101 may be related to radio resource measurement (RRM), radio link monitoring (RLM), channel state information (CSI) and sounding reference signal, SRS).

The first layer control information may include: group common-PDCCH (GC-PDCCH) for time slot format indication related to the control link 101 and AF link 102; DL/UL beam indication related to 102; scheduled downlink control information (DCI) for layer 2/layer 3 messages related to control link 101; third layer information related to control link 101 UL power control commands for Layer 2/Layer 3 messages; Scheduling request (SR) and hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgment for Layer 2/Layer 3 messages related to the control link 101 , HARQ-ACK); a PDCCH command for timing advance (TA) maintenance of the control link 101; and a CSI report and SRS for the control link 101.

The second layer control information may include: DL/UL beam indications related to the control link 101 and AF link 102; and a random access response (RAR) related to the control link 101. The third layer control information may include: L3: time-division duplex (TDD) configuration related to the control link 101 and AF link 102; DL/related to the control link 101 and AF link 102 UL beam configuration; other configuration related to control link 101.

Figure 2 is a simplified block diagram of the relay 121 and gNB 131 provided according to an embodiment of the present application. For repeater 121, antenna 197 transmits and receives radio signals. The RF transceiver module 196 coupled to the antenna receives the radio frequency signal from the antenna, converts it into a baseband signal and sends it to the processor 193 . The radio frequency transceiver 196 also converts the baseband signal received from the processor 193 into a radio frequency signal and sends it to the antenna 197 . The processor 193 processes the received baseband signal and calls different functional modules and circuits to perform the functions of the repeater 121 . Memory 192 stores program instructions and data 190 to control the operation of repeater 121 .

Similarly, for gNB 131, antenna 177 transmits and receives radio frequency signals. The RF transceiver module 176 coupled to the antenna receives the radio frequency signal from the antenna, converts it into a baseband signal and sends it to the processor 173 . The RF transceiver 176 also converts the baseband signal received from the processor 173 into a radio frequency signal and sends it to the antenna 177 . The processor 173 processes the received baseband signal and calls different functional modules and circuits to perform functions in the gNB 131. Memory 172 stores program instructions and data 170 to control the operation of gNB 131.

The relay 121 and the gNB 131 include a plurality of functional modules and circuits, which can be implemented and configured to perform embodiments of the present application. In the example of FIG. 2 , the repeater 121 includes a set of control function modules and circuits 180 . Transmission processing circuitry 182 processes amplify-and-forward DL/UL transmissions and related network parameters for UE 110 and gNB 131. gNB 131 includes a set of control function modules and circuits 160 . Transmission processing circuitry 162 processes DL/UL transmissions and related network parameters for UE 110 and relay 121.

It should be noted that different functional modules and circuits can be implemented and configured through software, firmware, hardware, and any combination thereof. These functional modules and circuits, when executed by processors 193 and 173 (eg, by executing program code 190 and 170), allow repeater 121 and gNB 131 to perform embodiments of the present application.

Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of a message transmission according to a novel aspect. In particular, gNB 131 transmits upper layer configuration (eg, RRC configuration) to relay 121 . The upper layer configuration includes a forwarding resource set 1310 of forwarding resources, which includes time domain occasion information.

The relay 121 receives the upper layer configuration and derives the forwarding resource set 1310 including forwarding resources and time domain timing information. Therefore, the relay 121 may forward the signal 1210 from the gNB 131 to the UE 110 or from the UE 110 to the gNB 131 based on the time domain timing information associated with the forwarding resources of the forwarding resource set 1310 .

In some embodiments, the time domain timing information of configuration 1310 includes at least one of the following: (1) a slot offset of a time slot and at least one symbol position in the slot; and (2) a period of the time domain timing information .

In some embodiments, the forwarding resource further includes a first spatial setting, and the first spatial setting includes at least one of the following: (1) beam index; (2) transmission configuration indication (TCI) status identifier ( identification (ID); (3) the index of another forwarding resource; (4) an absent indication (absent indication); and (5) a status indication without quasi-colocation (QCL) assumption or beam indication.

In some embodiments, the forwarding resource further includes: (1) a forwarding resource index of the forwarding resource; (2) a forwarding type indicating uplink (UL) transmission or downlink (downlink, DL) transmission; ( 3) Forwarding status indicating forwarding enabled or forwarded deactivated; and (4) power control settings.

In some embodiments, the configuration 1310 of the upper layer configuration further includes a list of forwarding resource indices corresponding to the forwarding resource.

In some embodiments, the configuration 1310 of the upper layer configuration further includes at least one of the following: (1) a forwarding resource set index of the forwarding resource set; (2) each forwarding resource (ie, all forwarding resources) of the forwarding resource set period; (3) The time slot offset of each forwarding resource (i.e., all forwarding resources) of the forwarding resource set; (4) The time domain setting of the forwarding resource set (e.g., periodic, semi-persistent , or aperiodic); and (5) an indication to use the same beam for each forwarding resource of the forwarding resource set (i.e., for all forwarding resources), or to use different beams for different forwarding resources of the forwarding resource set instruct.

Figure 3B is a schematic diagram of a message transmission according to a novel aspect. In some embodiments, to update the configuration, relay 121 receives a media access control-control (MAC) control element (CE) (MAC-CE) 1314 from gNB 131 . The MAC-CE 1314 includes at least one of the following: (1) a forwarding resource set index of a forwarding resource set that includes the forwarding resource; (2) an indication of activation of the forwarding resource set or deactivation of the forwarding resource set; (3) ) A list of the second space settings of the forwarding resources in the forwarding resource set; (4) The identification of the bandwidth part to which the MAC-CE is applicable; and (5) The component carrier to which the MAC-CE is applicable logo.

In some embodiments, to update the configuration, relay 121 receives DCI 1316 from gNB 1316. The DCI 1316 includes: (1) a list of forwarding resource indices corresponding to the forwarding resource; and (2) a list of second spatial settings for the forwarding resource.

Figures 4A and 4B illustrate a beam training based on a received configuration according to a novel aspect. In particular, gNB 131 and relay 121 communicate through beams B11-131 of gNB 131 and beams B11-121 of relay 121. In this embodiment, the beam pairs of beams B11-131 and beams B11-121 are determined by gNB 121, and because the positions of gNB 131 and relay 121 are fixed, the beam pairs may not be changed.

Then, based on the received configuration 1310, the relay 121 determines: (1) the forwarding resource set FS1 with the forwarding resources O11 to O16; (2) the time domain timing of the forwarding resources O11 to O16; (3) the corresponding forwarding resources respectively. beams B21-121 to B26-121 from O11 to O16 (for example, the beam indexes of beams B21-121 to B26-121 correspond to forwarding resources O11 to O16 respectively); and (4) the period P10 configured for the forwarding resource set FS1.

Correspondingly, when the gNB 131 transmits the DL reference signals (RS) RS7 to RS12 aligned with the time domain timing of the forwarding resources O11 to O16 to the relay 121, the relay 121 In time domain timing, RS RS7 to RS12 are forwarded with corresponding beams B21-121 to B26-121 respectively.

In particular, the relay 121: (1) forwards RS RS7 from gNB 131 to UE 110 using the corresponding beams B21-121 at the time domain opportunity of forwarding resource O11; (2) at the time domain opportunity of forwarding resource O12 Use the corresponding beam B22-121 to forward RS RS8 from gNB 131 to UE 110; (3) Use the corresponding beam B23-121 to forward RS RS9 from gNB 131 to UE 110 at the time domain timing of forwarding resource O13; (4 ) Use the corresponding beam B24-121 to forward RS RS10 from gNB 131 to UE 110 at the time domain opportunity of forwarding resource O14; (5) Use the corresponding beam B25-121 to forward RS RS11 at the time domain opportunity of forwarding resource O15 forward from gNB 131 to UE 110; and (6) forward RS RS12 from gNB 131 to UE 110 using the corresponding beam B26-121 at the time domain opportunity of forwarding resource O16.

Then, based on the forwarded RS RS7 to RS12, the UE 110 performs DL measurement on the DL RS RS7 to RS12 and reports the one with the best quality to the gNB 131. In this example, UE 110 reports RS9 with the best quality to gNB 131.

Based on the report from UE 110, gNB 131 determines that beam B23-121 corresponding to the time domain opportunity of forwarding resource O13 aligned with RS RS9 is used as the serving beam of relay 121 to forward information to/from UE 110 information. gNB 131: (1) transmits an indication to relay 121 to use beam B23-121; and (2) transmits an indication to UE 110 to use RS RS9 for DL and UL.

Figures 4C and 4D illustrate signal transmission after beam training according to a novel aspect. In particular, gNB 131 and relay 121 communicate through beams B11-131 of gNB 131 and beams B11-121 of relay 121. After the beam training, the relay 121 communicates with the UE 110 through the beam B23-121 of the relay 121 and the beam B23-110 of the UE 110, which beam B23-110 is determined by the UE 110 according to the RS RS9.

Then, based on the received configurations 1310 and 1312, the relay 121 determines: (1) the forwarding resource set FS2 with the forwarding resources O21 to O24; (2) the time domain of the forwarding resources O21 to O24 in the time slots S21 and S22 timing; and (3) the period P20 configured for the forwarding resource set FS2.

Correspondingly, when the gNB 131 transmits tracking reference signals (TRS) (eg, CSI-RS) TRS1 to TRS4 aligned with the time domain timing of the forwarding resources O21 to O24 to the relay 121, the relay 121 TRS1 to TRS4 are forwarded through beam B23-121 on the time domain timing of forwarding resources O21 to O24. Then, according to the TRS TRS1 to TRS4, the UE 110 performs DL measurement on the TRS TRS1 to TRS4 based on the RS RS9 indicated by the gNB 131.

Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method for a relay to forward information according to a novel aspect. In step 501, the relay receives a configuration of a forwarding resource set including forwarding resources from a base station. The forwarding resource includes time domain timing information. In step 502, the relay forwards signals from or to the base station based on the forwarding resource set.

In some embodiments, the time domain opportunity information includes at least one of the following: (1) a slot offset of the time slot and at least one symbol position in the time slot; and (2) a period of the time domain opportunity information.

In some embodiments, the forwarding resource includes a spatial setting, and the spatial setting includes at least one of the following: (1) beam index; TCI status identification; (2) index of another forwarding resource; (3) missing indication; and (4) There is no QCL assumption or status indication for beam indication.

In some embodiments, the forwarding resource further includes: (1) a forwarding resource index of the forwarding resource; (2) a forwarding type indicating UL transmission or DL transmission; (3) a forwarding status indicating forwarding activation or forwarding deactivation; and (4) Power control settings.

Figures 6A-6C are flowcharts of a method for a relay to forward information according to a novel aspect. In step 601, the relay receives an upper layer configuration including a configuration of a forwarding resource set including forwarding resources from the base station. The forwarding resources include time domain timing information and first spatial settings. In step 602, the relay forwards signals from or to the base station based on the forwarding resource set.

In some embodiments, the configuration includes a list of forwarding resource indices corresponding to forwarding resources.

In some embodiments, the configuration includes: (1) a forwarding resource set index of the forwarding resource set; (2) a period of each forwarding resource of the forwarding resource set; (3) each forwarding resource of the forwarding resource set time slot offset; (4) the time domain setting of the forwarding resource set; and (5) using the same beam for each resource forwarding resource of the forwarding resource set or using different beams for different forwarding resources of the forwarding resource set instruct.

In some embodiments, the method for the relay to forward information optionally includes step 603. In step 603, the relay receives the MAC-CE from the base station. The MAC-CE includes at least one of the following: (1) the forwarding resource set index of the forwarding resource set; (2) an indication of activation of the forwarding resource set or deactivation of the forwarding resource set; (3) an indication of the forwarding resource set in the forwarding resource set A list of second space settings for forwarding resources; (4) the identifier of the bandwidth part to which the MAC-CE is applicable; and (5) the identifier of the component carrier to which the MAC-CE is applicable.

In some embodiments, the method for the relay to forward information optionally includes step 604. In step 604, the repeater receives DCI from the base station. The DCI includes: (1) a list of forwarding resource indexes corresponding to the forwarding resource; and (2) a list of second spatial settings of the forwarding resource.

Although the present application has been described in connection with certain specific embodiments for purposes of illustration, the present application is not limited thereto. Accordingly, various modifications, adjustments, and combinations of the various features of this embodiment may be made without departing from the scope of the present application as defined in the claims.

100:5G NR network 101:Control link 102:AF link 110:UE 120,130: Access network 121:Repeater 131:gNB 140:Core network 160: Control function modules and circuits 162:Transmission processing circuit 170:Program 172:Memory 173: Processor 176:Transceiver 177:Antenna 180: Control function modules and circuits 182:Transmission processing circuit 190:Program 192:Memory 193:Processor 196:Transceiver 197:antenna 1210:Signal 1310: Forward resource set 1314:MAC-CE 1316:DCI B11-121, B11-131, B21-121~B26-121: Beam O11~O16,O21~O24: forward resources RS7~RS12: reference signal P10,P20:Period TRS1~TRS4: tracking reference signal 501,502,601,602,603,604: Steps

The drawings illustrate embodiments of the present application, with like reference numbers referring to similar elements. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a 5G NR network that supports relays to forward information according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 is a simplified block diagram of a base station and a repeater provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of message transmission provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3B is a schematic diagram of message transmission provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figures 4A and 4B illustrate a beam training based on a received configuration according to a novel aspect. Figures 4C and 4D illustrate signal transmission after beam training according to a novel aspect. Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method for a relay to forward information according to a novel aspect. Figures 6A, 6B, and 6C are flowcharts of a method for a relay to forward information according to a novel aspect.

501,502: steps

Claims (20)

A method that includes: receiving, by a relay, a configuration of a forwarding resource set including at least one forwarding resource from a base station, wherein the at least one forwarding resource includes time domain timing information; and The repeater forwards a signal from the base station or to the base station based on the forwarding resource set. The method described in claim 1, wherein the time domain timing information includes: A slot offset of a slot and at least one symbol position in the slot. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one forwarding resource further includes a first spatial setting, and the first spatial setting includes at least one of the following: a beam index; a transmission configuration indication status identifier; An index of another forwarded resource; a missing indication; and A status indication without quasi-colocation assumption or beam indication. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one forwarding resource further includes at least one of the following: A forwarding resource index of the forwarding resource; indicating a forwarding type for uplink transmission or downlink transmission; a forwarding status indicating forwarding activation or forwarding deactivation; and A power control setting. The method described in request item 1, wherein the configuration further includes: A list of at least one forwarding resource index corresponding to the at least one forwarding resource. The method as described in request item 1, wherein the configuration further includes at least one of the following: a forwarding resource set index of the forwarding resource set; One cycle for each forwarding resource of the forwarding resource set; A time slot offset for each forwarding resource of the forwarding resource set; A time domain setting for the forwarding resource set; and An indication to use the same beam for each forwarding resource of the set of forwarding resources, or an indication to use different beams for different forwarding resources of the set of forwarding resources. The method as described in claim 6, further comprising: The repeater receives a control element of media access control from the base station, wherein the control element of the media access control includes at least one of the following: The forwarding resource set index of the forwarding resource set; An indication of activation of the forwarding resource set or deactivation of the forwarding resource set; A list of at least one second spatial arrangement of the at least one forwarding resource in the forwarding resource set; An identifier of a bandwidth portion to which the control element of the media access control applies; and A component carrier identifier to which the control element of the media access control applies. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising: The repeater receives downlink control information from the base station, where the downlink control information includes: a list of at least one forwarding resource index corresponding to the at least one forwarding resource; and A list of at least one second spatial arrangement of the at least one forwarding resource. A repeater consisting of: a transceiver; and a transmission processing circuit for: Receive, through the transceiver, a configuration of a forwarding resource set including at least one forwarding resource from a base station, wherein the at least one forwarding resource includes time domain timing information; and Based on the forwarding resource set, a signal is forwarded from the base station or to the base station through the transceiver. The relay as described in request item 9, wherein the time domain timing information includes: A slot offset of a slot and at least one symbol position in the slot. The relay of claim 9, wherein the at least one forwarding resource further includes a first spatial setting, and the first spatial setting includes at least one of the following: a beam index; a transmission configuration indication status identifier; An index of another forwarded resource; a missing indication; and A status indication without quasi-colocation assumption or beam indication. The relay as described in request item 9, wherein the at least one forwarding resource further includes at least one of the following: A forwarding resource index of the forwarding resource; indicating a forwarding type for uplink transmission or downlink transmission; a forwarding status indicating forwarding activation or forwarding deactivation; and A power control setting. The relay as described in request item 9, wherein the configuration further includes: A list of at least one forwarding resource index corresponding to the at least one forwarding resource. The relay of claim 9, wherein the configuration further includes at least one of the following: a forwarding resource set index of the forwarding resource set; One cycle for each forwarding resource of the forwarding resource set; A time slot offset for each forwarding resource of the forwarding resource set; A time domain setting for the forwarding resource set; and An indication to use the same beam for each forwarding resource of the set of forwarding resources, or an indication to use different beams for different forwarding resources of the set of forwarding resources. The relay according to claim 14, wherein the transmission processing circuit is further used for: Through the transceiver, a control element of media access control is received from the base station, wherein the control element of the media access control includes at least one of the following: The forwarding resource set index of the forwarding resource set; An indication of activation of the forwarding resource set or deactivation of the forwarding resource set; A list of at least one second spatial arrangement of the at least one forwarding resource in the forwarding resource set; An identifier of a bandwidth portion to which the control element of the media access control applies; and A component carrier identifier to which the control element of the media access control applies. The relay according to claim 9, wherein the transmission processing circuit is further used for: The repeater receives downlink control information from the base station; wherein the downlink control information includes: a list of at least one forwarding resource index corresponding to the at least one forwarding resource; and A list of at least one second spatial arrangement of the at least one forwarding resource. A base station including: a transceiver; and a transmission processing circuit for: transmitting, through the transceiver, a configuration of a forwarding resource set including at least one forwarding resource to a relay, wherein the at least one forwarding resource includes time domain timing information; and Based on the forwarding resource set, a signal is transmitted to or received from the repeater through the transceiver. The base station of claim 17, wherein the at least one forwarding resource further includes a first spatial setting, and the first spatial setting includes at least one of the following: a beam index; a transmission configuration indication status identifier; An index of another forwarded resource; a missing indication; and A status indication without quasi-colocation assumption or beam indication. The base station as claimed in claim 17, wherein the transmission processing circuit is further used for: Through the transceiver, a control element of media access control is transmitted to the relay, wherein the control element of media access control includes at least one of the following: a forwarding resource set index of the forwarding resource set; An indication of activation of the forwarding resource set or deactivation of the forwarding resource set; A list of a second spatial arrangement of the at least one forwarding resource in the forwarding resource set; An identifier of a bandwidth portion to which the control element of the media access control applies; and A component carrier identifier to which the control element of the media access control applies. The base station as claimed in claim 17, wherein the transmission processing circuit is further used for: Through the transceiver, downlink control information is transmitted to the repeater, where the downlink control information includes: a list of at least one forwarding resource index corresponding to the at least one forwarding resource; and A list of at least one second spatial arrangement of the at least one forwarding resource.